Product Description

In the suburban world of nice homes, neat lawns, and new cars, it can be easy to forget about social justice. Life keeps us busy, and the poor and disenfranchised of our world are invisible as we go from our garage to our workplace and back again. But suburbanites can be a force for social justice in the world.

In this unique book, you will take a journey with a young couple from the burbs as they learn to notice and act on the issues of justice that abound everywhere. This engaging narrative will help you kiss apathy and ignorance good-bye in favor of a life of concern and action.

Product Information

Publisher's Description

In the suburban world of nice homes, neat lawns, and new cars, it can be easy to forget about social justice issues. Life keeps us busy, and the poor and disenfranchised of our world are invisible as we go from our garage to our workplace and back again. But suburbanites can be a force for social justice in the world.

In this unique book, readers will take a journey with a young couple from the 'burbs as they learn to notice and act on the issues of justice that abound no matter where you live. This engaging narrative helps readers kiss apathy and ignorance goodbye in favor of a life of concern and action in order to help our fellow human beings.

Author Bio

Will Samson has a seventeen-year career in politics, technology, and the church, working with Fortune 500 companies, universities, non-profits and political organizations. He is an active contributor to the efforts of Emergent Village. Lisa Samson has written seventeen novels, including the Christy Award-winning Songbird. Will and Lisa live in Lexington, Kentucky.

Publisher's Weekly

Award-winning Christian novelist Lisa Samson (Songbird; Quaker Summer) and her
husband, sociology doctoral student Will Samson, intertwine fiction and
nonfiction in this challenging and inspiring book about justice. Lisa Samson's
novella features the Marshalls, a suburban family with all the accoutrements:
Matt climbs the corporate ladder, Christine cares for their three children,
and both are busy with numerous church leadership positions. One day, Matt and
Christine visit an inner-city mission, and their ideas about how they should
be living gradually but dramatically change. The nonfiction portion of the
book examines the issues these characters (and most of the book's readership)
face. The Samsons talk about why God cares what we eat, where we live, how
much electricity we use and to whom we minister. Astonishingly, the authors
manage to do this without hitting a sanctimonious note. On the contrary, they
repeatedly highlight the heartbreak and complexity of what they refer to as
"thinking and living in keeping with God's heartbeat of justice" and
frequently acknowledge their own struggles and failures. The Samsons include
short meditations at the end of each chapter written by a variety of Christian
authors, as well as a series of helpful discussion questions at the end.
(Aug.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Wow! Justice in the Burbs already feels like a keeper and I'm only on the second chapter. Will and Lisa Samson have united their talents and taken a creative approach at sharing a story and a challenge. Each of the twelve chapters are divided into three sections. The first section is a story written by Lisa about fictional characters, Matt and Christine Marshall, a suburban couple who are taking an emotional and life-changing journey by asking themselves the hard questions. Will tackles the second section which is a discussion of issues related to Lisa's narrative. Finally each chapter ends with a meditation in response to the story.This book reminds me some of one of Lisa's other novels, which I enjoyed tremendously, Quaker Summer. If you get a chance, I'd recommend that you read it also. The back cover of Justice in the Burbs says:"In the suburban world of nice homes, neat lawns, and new cars, it can be easy to forget about social justice. Life keeps us busy, and the poor and disenfranchised of our world are invisible as we go from our garage to our workplace and back again. But suburbanites can be a force for social justice in the world.""In this unique book, you will take a journey with a young couple from the burbs as they learn to notice and act on the issues of justice that abound everywhere. This engaging narrative will help you kiss apathy and ignorance good-bye in favor of a life of concern and action."Are you up for a challenge? Are you ready to let go of the status quo? If so check your local library or bookstore for this enlightening book, Justice in the Burbs: Being the Hands of Jesus Wherever You Live.